Peter Sagan (born January 26, 1990 in Žilina) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Liquigas-Cannondale. Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing.
At the age of 22 Sagan is considered by some to be one of cycling's most promising talents, having won two stages at Paris–Nice, one at the Tour de Romandie, two and the overall classification at the Tour de Pologne, a record eight at the Tour of California,six at the Tour de Suisse as well as the overall classification and three stages of the Giro di Sardegna. He has won six stages at Grand Tours, having won three at the Vuelta a España in 2011 and three at the Tour de France in 2012.
PERSONAL LIFE
Sagan is the youngest child among three brothers and a sister. He was brought up by his sister as his parents spent most of the day taking care of a small grocery shop they own in his hometown. His older brother Juraj Sagan is a cyclist with Liquigas-Cannondale. Peter is known for "The Paradox of Sagan", which is a term referring to "the startling polarity in Peter". You can read more about this here.
CAREER
Early Years
Sagan started to ride bikes at the age of nine when he joined Cyklistický
spolok Žilina, a small local club in his home town. Throughout his junior years Sagan rode both mountain bikes and road bikes, and was well known for his unconventional style of riding in tennis shoes and t-shirts and drinking just pure water. Sagan drew a significant amount of attention when he appeared at the Slovak Cup with a bicycle borrowed from his sister. Sagan had mistakenly sold his own and had not received a spare from the Velosprint sponsor in time. He won the race despite riding a supermarket bike with poor brakes and limited gearing.
Professional beginnings
Sagan's first professional cycling opportunity came along when he was hired by the Dukla Trenčín Mérida
team, a Slovak outfit in the Continental Pro (second) division. In 2008, he won the Junior World Championship
on a mountain bike in Vale di Sole. That same year he also finished second at Cyclocross Junior World
Championships in Treviso and the Junior Paris–Roubaix.
Sagan joined a Pro Tour team Quick Step for road testing but he failed to get a contract. His frustration was
so deep that he decided to quit road cycling, however pressed by his family he gave it a try to Liquigas-Doimo
and succeeded. Liquigas' Zanatta offered Sagan a two-year contract (2010–2011) with an option to ride
mountain bikes for Cannondale. In April of 2010 the contract was extended to 2012. Liquigas doctors and
managers were stunned by results of Sagan's medical tests, saying that they had never ever seen a 19 year
old rider as physically strong and capable. During the training camp Sagan destroyed more mountain bikes
than any other rider due to his ability to put a bike through its paces. This earned him the nickname "Terminator"
(later "Tourminator"), despite his quiet and very polite personality.
2010
Liquigas nominated Sagan for his first Pro Tour road race Tour Down Under in January 2010 at the age of 19. He was involved in a crash during the second stage but kept riding with 17 stitches on his arm and left thigh. In the queen stage to Willungahe joined an attack over the last climb with Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde and Luis León Sánchez. The four fought to hold off the sprinters' group over the next 20 kilometers, with Sánchez taking the win.
Sagan won his first and second Pro Tour stages during the 2010 Paris–Nice road race. Sagan was not initially nominated for the race, but joined the team after his team mate Maciej Bodnar broke his collarbone. His first stage win was gained on 10 March 2010, when Sagan joined a move initiated by Nicolas Roche on the final climb of the third stage into Aurillac and out-sprinted Roche and Joaquim Rodríguez for the stage win. This stage win also gave Sagan the lead in the "Green Jersey" or Points Classification. Sagan's second Pro Tour win came two days later from a solo attack in the fifth stage into Aix-en-Provence. Attacking three kilometers from the finish up a sharp climb, Sagan was able to hold off the Peloton to claim the win. Alongside his two stage wins, Sagan also finished second in stage two at Limoges and third in stage six into Tourrettes-sur-Loup. The combination of high stage placings and intermediate sprint points won Sagan the Green Jersey for 2010. He finished the race 17th, three minutes and twenty one seconds behind race winner Alberto Contador, who praised the young Slovak and predicted he would be a rival to watch in future races. He also finished eighth in the "White Jersey" or Young Riders Classification.
At the 2010 Tour of California, Sagan won the 5th and the 6th stage, coming in with the GC contenders each time. After missing the move up Bonny Doon on stage 3, he was 17 seconds back. The two stage wins that he took not only moved him into 3rd on GC but also put him into the points jersey. Going into the 7th Stage Time Trial through Los Angeles, he was only 9 seconds back. Even though he had prior success in Prologues, this Time Trial was slightly too long, and he lost 1 minute and 35 seconds on GC going into the final stage. Even though he was dropped out of the select GC group on the last lap of the 20.4 miles (32.8 km) circuit, he secured both the Youth Competition and the Points Jersey. He ended up 8th in the overall, behind seasoned veterans like Levi Leipheimer, Michael Rogers, David Zabriskie, Chris Horner, and Jens Voigt, all people very highly respected in the European peloton. Sagan finished fourth in the opening prologue of the 2010 Tour de Suisse, only three seconds behind Fabian Cancellara, but finished almost 11 minutes down in the second stage and didn't take the start the following day alleging severe fatigue.
After taking a break during the month of July, he returned to good form later in the season, securing high placings in a number of European races as well as 2nd place in the inaugural Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. He rode the World Championships in Geelong, Australia for Slovakia, but failed to make an impact in the long race. He planned to ride several late season races including Paris-Tours and the Giro di Lombardia but an intestinal issue forced him out of the former and weakened him in the latter.
2011
Sagan was set to continue in 2011 with the same team, now renamed Liquigas-Cannondale. At a team training camp in December 2010, Sagan said that his first goal for the 2011 season would be Milan San Remo.[16]
After beginning his season with some solid placings in a couple of Italian one-day races, Sagan really got his season going at the Giro di Sardegna. He won 3 of the 5 stages in the race, and won both the overall and the points classification, narrowly hanging on to beat Jose Serpa by 3 seconds in the general classification.
During the Tour of California, he won stage 5 on his way to a win in the points classification for the second straight year at this event.
In June he took part in the Tour de Suisse starting off with a third place in the opening prologue. He then won a mountain stage 3, showing his versatility, when he caught Damiano Cunego on the descent ofGrosse Scheidegg and then outsprinted him in the dash to the finish line. Sagan managed two other podium placings in the flat stages with an uphill sprint finish before winning stage 8 in another bunch sprint. This victory was enough to secure another points jersey for the young Slovak rider.
Sagan targeted the Vuelta a España to be the stage for his first Grand Tour appearance. He rode the Tour de Pologne as a preparation for the Vuelta. He took the leader's jersey after winning stage 4 and then he also won stage 5. Although he lost the jersey to Daniel Martin after a difficult finish of stage 6, he managed to regain it on the final day of the race thanks to bonus seconds for intermediate sprint and a second place on the stage. He also claimed the points classification.
2012
Early of 2012 Sagan unofficially announced prolongation of his contract with Liquigas till 2014.
In the contract, signed prior Vuelta a España, Sagan exchanged better financial benefits for a
possibility to have his brother Juraj on the team. "For me, Liquigas was the first choice. I had
offers from other teams, giving me perhaps more freedom in the peloton. But Liquigas introduced
me to the professional cycling, they have put trust in me and I would like to pay back," commented
Sagan for 53x11, a Czech cycling monthly.
He began the season in good form, winning a stage and the points classification in the Tour of
Oman. Sagan won Stage 4 ofTirreno-Adriatico and also played a key role in helping Vincenzo Nibali
win the event overall. Sagan's good form continued into the classics season, with fourth place in
Milan-San Remo, second in Gent-Wevelgem, a stage victory in Three Days of De Panne, fifth in the
Tour of Flanders and third in the Amstel Gold Race.
Tour of California
On the first stage of the Tour of California, Sagan had a puncture with 7 kilometers to go. He worked his way back to the bunch and avoided a crash that occurred with 3 kilometers left in the race. His team-mate Daniel Oss piloted him in the last few kilometers, and Sagan out sprinted his rivals, taking the stage win.The very next day, he won again on stage 2, in Santa Cruz. After suffering a crash in the Empire Grade climb, he got back on and his team dragged him to the last corner of the race, a right bend with the finish line only a couple hundred meters away. Sagan was first out of the corner and accelerated to the finish, taking his second victory in a row. On the third stage, Sagan took his third consecutive victory by a very slim margin over Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) for the third time in a row.He would go on to win again on the fourth stage in a bunch finish.
After the dust settled on the Tour, Sagan had five stage wins, including the eighth and final stage in Los Angeles and the points jersey, shattering the previous record of Tour of California stage wins with a cumulative of eight stages, the previous mark attained by Levi Leipheimer of the Omega Pharma-Quick Step squad with six. He was also awarded for his performance with the sprinter's jersey.
Tour de Suisse
Sagan demonstrated good form once again in the World Tour classified Tour de Suisse by winning four stages and the points classification jersey. He kicked things off with a somewhat surprising win in the opening prologue, besting local favorite and time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) by 4 seconds over the 7.3 km (4.5 mi) course.The second stage was not suited for him since it was a mountainous affair, but he did prevail on stage 3, in a thrilling finish where the bunch caught the final two escapees inside the final kilometer. The asphalt was wet with rain and Sagan's foot came out of his pedal in one of the last bend, but he managed to stay upright and pass Orica-GreenEDGE's Baden Cooke before the line, arms in the air and wearing the white jersey awarded to the best sprinter. The very next day, he took his third victory in four days, once again in rainy conditions. With about 350 meters to go, Marcus Burghardt of BMC Racing Team launched a sprint for the finish line. Sagan jumped out of his teammate's wheel to get into Burghardt's slipstream and sailed past him to take the win. He thanked his team for their efforts afterward, especially Moreno Moser, who "shut down every attack at the end of the race, letting me do the sprint I wanted; big thanks to Moreno and I hope I can return the favour soon." The next win came on stage 6, the last stage of the Tour which was suited to the sprinters. The final kilometers in Bischofszell were filled with urban obstacles such as roundabouts and sharp bends, and Sagan stayed with the head of the bunch. With 200 meters to go, Sagan took a left bend with a small patch of cobbles in it at full speed. He scraped the barriers as he came out of the corner with Orica-GreenEDGE's Michael Albasini on his left, and sprinted his way to victory. When asked about the seemingly close call he had in the aforementioned turn, the Slovak answered: "The finishes in the Tour de Suisse are never straight so you need to invent something to find some space [...]".
Tour de France
Prior to the Tour, Sagan made a bet with Liquigas president Paolo Zani. If Sagan was able to win two stages and the green jersey, Zani would have to give him his own Porsche for him. Sagan started the Tour by finishing in 53rd place on the Prologue after losing some time in the corners. He won the first stage in Seraing atop a small climb after breaking away with a little more than a kilometre to go with Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) and out sprinting him and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky). According to Sagan's SRM file, in the final 1.5km when Cancellara initiated the move, Sagan ramped up his cadence to over 120rpm to stay with him and averaged 493
watts of power in the last 2 minutes 20 seconds of the race. His power output surged to 1,236 watts in the finale,
averaging 970 watts in the last 200 metres. On Stage 3, he came atop the final Category 4 climb in Boulogne-
sur-Mersprinting away and leaving the field behind.As he crossed the finish line, which was situated at the end of
the 700 meters slope, he made a gesture imitating the run of Forrest Gump.He won again on Stage 6, which had
a course suited for a bunch sprint and finished in Metz. He beat pure sprinters Andre Greipel of Lotto-Belisol and
Matthew Goss of the Orica-GreenEDGE squad by a little more than a bike length. He finished the Tour with 3 stage
wins and the green jersey, also earning the "most combative" rider award on the mountainous Stage 14.
London 2012 Olympics
Peter raced in the Olympic Men's Road Race as the sole rider of Slovakia. He finished 34th with the peleton.
Peter was expected to race also in the Mountain Bike Country-Cross but unfortunately Slovakia didn't get the
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